Effects of recent and past climatic shifts on the genetic structure of the high mountain Yellow‐spotted ringlet butterfly Erebia manto (Lepidoptera, Satyrinae): a conservation problem

Abstract

Mountain species have evolved important genetic differentiation due to past climatic fluctuations. The genetic uniqueness of many of these lineages is now at risk due to global warming. Here, we analyse allozyme polymorphisms of 1306 individuals (36 populations) of the mountain butterfly Erebia manto and perform Species Distribution Models (SDMs). As a consensus of analyses, we obtained six most likely genetic clusters: (i) Pyrenees with Massif Central; (ii) Vosges; (iii-v) Alps including the Slovakian Carpathians; (vi) southern Carpathians. The Vosges population showed the strongest genetic split from all other populations, being almost as strong as the split between E. manto and its sister species Erebia eriphyle. The distinctiveness of the Pyrenees-Massif Central group and of the southern Carpathians group from all other groups is also quite high. All three groups are assumed to have survived more than one full glacial-interglacial cycle close to their current distributions with up-hill and down-slope shifts conforming climatic conditions. In contrast with these well-differentiated groups, the three groups present in the Alps and the Slovakian Carpathians show a much shallower genetic structure and thus also should be of a more recent origin. As predicted by our SDM projections, rising temperatures will strongly impact the distribution of E. manto. While the populations in the Alps are predicted to shrink, the survival of the three lineages present here should not be at risk. The situation of the three other lineages is quite different. All models predict the extinction of the Vosges lineage in the wake of global warming, and also the southern Carpathians and Pyrenees-Massif Central lineages might be at high risk to disappear. Thus, albeit global warming will therefore be unlikely to threaten E. manto as a species, an important proportion of the species' intraspecific differentiation and thus uniqueness might be lost.

Molecular Biogeography of the High Mountain Systems of Europe: An Overview

“…Quite similar phenomena, with similar biogeographic explanations, are known between the north-eastern Alps and the Tatra mountains (e.g. Kropf et al 2003;Muster and Berendonk 2006;Schönswetter et al 2006;Suda et al 2007;Paun et al 2008;Triponez et al 2011;Schmitt et al 2014) as well as the south-eastern Alps and the north-western Balkan mountains (Triponez et al 2011; examples for boreo-montane species: Ronikier et al 2008b;Kramp et al 2009). Although genetic data from the western Balkan mountains are generally scarce, it is worth noting that the south-eastern Alps-western Balkan mountains link is frequently supported by the existence of taxa that only occur in these two regions (e.g.…”

“…Pauls et al 2006;Schmitt et al 2006;Mardulyn et al 2009;Triponez et al 2011;Alvarez et al 2012;Charrier et al 2014). Exceptions to this rule are the caddisfly Drusus discolor with a genetic lineage restricted to Jura, Vosges and Black Forest (Pauls et al 2006) and the butterfly Erebia manto with the genetically strongly differentiated taxon vogesiaca endemic to the Vosges (Schmitt et al 2014). …”

“…Genetic links are known with the Pyrenees (e.g. Descimon 1995;Ronikier et al 2008b (however, these two species are not typical alpine elements); Schmitt et al 2014) and the western Alps (Kramp et al 2009 (but referring to a boreo-montane species); Triponez et al 2011). However, the latter link seems to be less frequent than the former, thus supporting the idea that the isolating power of the Rhone valley was stronger than that of the hilly regions between the Massif Central and the Pyrenees.…”

Mobility of ringlet butterflies in high-elevation alpine grassland: effects of habitat barriers, resources and age

“…Studying the effect of this road on other species would therefore be interesting. Since many butterfly species are shifting their distribution areas upwards (Settele et al 2008;Schmitt et al 2014), high mountain habitats will probably harbor more and more species in the near future and should remain in the focus of ecological study.…”

Biogeography of the Carpathians: evolutionary and spatial facets of biodiversity

“…Some of these studies are focused uniquely on the Carpathians, whereas others have a broader geographical context but also include an insight into Carpathian biogeography. These recent studies include herbaceous plants (Ronikier et al ., ; Stachurska‐Swakoń, Cieślak & Ronikier, ; Băcilă, Şuteu & Coldea, ; Pachschwöll et al ., ; György, Vouillamoz & Höhn, ; Kolář, Fuxová et al ., ; Wasowicz et al ., ), trees (Dzialuk et al ., ; Gömöry et al ., ; Lendvay et al ., ), invertebrates (Homburg et al ., ; Krascsenitsová et al ., ; Theissinger et al ., ; Kaňuch et al ., ; Schmitt et al ., ; Drees et al ., ), vertebrates (Fijarczyk et al ., ; McDevitt et al ., ; Zieliński et al ., ; Klinga et al ., ; Stojak et al ., ; Wielstra, Babik & Arntzen, ), and even microbial communities (Geremia et al ., ).…”